Broken
by NurdBurger
Summary: Astral moves to Heartland city, meets Yuma, gets news, and needs help, with a very bad outcome. Bad summary, rated T for character death.


•**Broken•**

**I am sorry, I'm just not in the best of moods.**

#######

Astral looked around the classroom, on the first day of year 8. He looked for a spot to sit, and, even though there were plenty of them, he sat at the back, by himself. A few more kids came in and filled up the rest of the seats, but no-one came to the empty seat next to him.

"Ok, class. First day of the new school year. Hope you're exited!" Mr Kay walked in, and a boy sprinted in barley 30 seconds later.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr Kay!" The boy had red-antenna like hair, and 4 black spikes at the back. His eyes were red and his skin was tanned. And he came and sat right next to Astral.

"Hey, my name's Yuma." The boy put down his bag, and held out his hand to Astral, who ignored him completely. Yuma eventually dropped his hand, looking a bit put-off.

"So, what's your name?" Yuma shifted a bit closer to Astral, eager to talk. Astral sighed.

"Astral." He continued to work, ignoring Yuma's chattering.

"Yuma, are you working?" Mr Kay appeared on front to the shared desk, making Yuma jump violently.

"Er, sorry Mr Kay." The teacher sighed, and continued walking around the class. Astral smiled inwardly, thinking that Yuma would finally shut up.

"So, as I was saying…" Yuma continued, and Astral groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long year.

**#######**

"Hey, Astral! Wait up!" Yuma ran after the blue-haired boy, struggling to keep up with his face pace.

"Where're you going?" Yuma trotted along beside Astral, acting all eager again.

"Home." Astral walked a bit faster, leaving Yuma behind. He felt a bit sad in doing so, because his company was actually quite nice. But Astral was not the kind of person to talk to people, and that had been proven by the fact that he had only said two words to Yuma all day. But still, Astral enjoyed having attention.

"I-I guess I'll see you round, then?" Yuma called out from behind Astral, who pretended he couldn't hear the red-eyed boy.

Astral kept walking, going as fast as he could without running. He had to get home and do his homework before his parents got angry.

**#######**

As the term dragged on, the seating arrangement was changed, and Astral was put at the front of the class, while Yuma stayed at the back. Yuma finally got the message that Astral didn't want friends, and left him alone, even going so far as to ignore him completely.

Astral took this as a blessing, as he could now work in peace. But, soon after moving seats, Astral found himself missing the sound of Yuma's voice. He missed the sight of the boy in the corner of his eye. He missed having to correct Yuma's terrible maths homework. He missed seeing the glimmer of Yuma's pendant out of the corner of his eye. He missed Yuma.

"Astral, can you tell me something?" The girl sitting next to Astral prodded him. Astral winced, as he was bruised from the last time she prodded him.

"What's up with you? You're always working, you never go anywhere except school, and you have no friends. Why?" The girl prodded Astral again when he didn't answer.

"I need good grades, my parents are strict, and I can't be distracted." Astral continued working, pretending not to hear the girl muttering 'freak' under her breath.

**#######**

"Astral, you are adopted." The words rolled round and round in Astral's head as he lay in bed that night. His parents had broken it to him after dinner, homework, and a movie. He kind of expected it, but never the less it hurt all the same. His mother had green hair and pink eyes, while his father had black hair and orange eyes. They were tanned, chubby, and tall. Astral had pale blue hair, and gold eyes, but had gone blind in his right eye after an unfortunate accident when he was eight, turning it white. He was short and skinny, and, above all, he was pale.

Even with this obvious hint, Astral had never really thought he could've been adopted. It had always been an insane notion, not one he would have even let enter his mind, let alone cross it. But now he knew, and he felt empty, like he didn't know who he was.

"I have to find out who I am. Who I really am." Astral sat up, knowing he couldn't do it alone. He needed someone strong, someone brave, someone who was happy to help. He needed a friend who would stick with him, through thick and thin. He needed someone he could trust, someone he liked. He needed…he needed…

He needed Yuma.

**#######**

Astral walked up to Yuma, and stopped quite near to him, but instead of talking to him, Astral started fiddling with his earring. Yuma looked at him, and opened his mouth.

And then he walked away.

Astral was miffed. Yuma used to seem so talkative, so open, and so friendly. What had happened?

Astral made up his mind to get Yuma's attention however he could.

He bumped into Yuma in the corridor, classroom, and random places in the city, but Yuma always ignored him. He watched duels between Yuma and others, hoping to catch his eye. But he never did. He eventually 'accidentally' pushed Yuma over, and then offered to help him up, but Yuma ignored his hand, and stood up himself, before limping away. So Astral did the only other thing he could.

He stole Yuma's key.

**#######**

Astral snuck up behind Yuma, and took hold of the cord around the red-eyed boy's neck. Astral gently lifted it over his head, careful not to touch his ears or nose, as that would've ruined his plan.

"What? HEY! Give me back my key!" Yuma stood up, hand held out. Astral held the key tightly, hand to his chest.

"Give it back, Astral!" Yuma made a grab for the pendant, but Astral sprinted. Yuma ran after him, yelling his name.

"ASTRAL! GIVE IT BACK!" Yuma screamed as Astral sprinted off the school grounds. Yuma followed, at almost the same speed.

Oh, god. What have I done? Well, it's too late to turn back now, Astral thought as he ran towards a tall building. He ran up the stairs, and heard Yuma sprinting along behind him. The boys burst onto the roof, and Yuma backed Astral into a corner.

"Give me back my key."

**#######**

Astral looked backwards, at the road 9 floors down. If he fell, he would splatter like a bug. He turned back to Yuma, the sky darkening.

"Give me back my key." Yuma growled, startling Astral. There was darkness in Yuma's red-eyes that Astral had never seen.

"I can't." Astral stared into Yuma's eyes.

"Why not?" Astral hung his head, ashamed.

"My parent recently told me I'm adopted, and now I don't know who I am. I need help to find out about my past and you were the perfect option." Astral looked into Yuma's eyes.

"But why would you take my key? You could've just asked for my help!" Yuma shouted angrily at the smaller boy, tears streaming down his tan face.

"I needed your full attention, Yuma!" Astral stepped forward. Yuma stepped back, and the now completely clouded over sky opened up and poured rain on the boys.

"Astral, you could've just said something. You didn't have to take my key and run." Yuma started walking back as Astral advanced on him, tears streaming down his face.

"All my life I've been told to uphold the family honour, to keep my ancestors proud. But are my ancestors the ones that came before my mother and father? Or are they the ones that came before the mother and father I never knew? How am I supposed to find this out? Tell me, Yuma! HOW?" Astral shrieked at Yuma, tears pouring down his cheeks, the rain bucketing down on them.

"Astral, I-"

"You don't know anything! Why did I ask you for help? You're useless! Just leave me alone!" Astral started howling, and Yuma stepped back-

-and slipped.

**#######**

"YUMA!" Astral screamed and made a desperate grab for the red-eyed boy as he slipped in a puddle and knocked his leg on the low wall surrounding the rooftop. Astral grabbed Yuma's red tie, but before he could latch onto it, it slipped between his fingers and Yuma fell down, all the way to the ground 9 floors below.

"YUMA! NO!" Astral reached out for the falling teenager, hand curling into a fist as the boy hit the ground with a sickening 'crunch'. Blood spurted from Yuma, and astral heard bones crunch, even over the roar of the traffic and the thunder.

"This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening." Astral chanted to himself as he sprinted down the stairs, wet shoe soles squeaking on each step.

Astral ran to Yuma's body, horrified. His neck was at a weird angle, bones were sticking out of his chest and arms, and his spine had come through the skin of his stomach. His eyes were dead and empty, and they were staring right into Astral's eyes. Astral dropped the key, and fell to his knees. He then burst into tears, and he barely noticed the people surrounding him. He didn't notice the police, or the paramedics, but when they tried to move him, he screamed.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE! DON'T TOUCH HIM!" He batted away hands from both himself and Yuma, trying to protect what was already lost.

"Kid, we have to take him away. You can come if you want to." Astral didn't respond, so the paramedics helped him into the ambulance along with Yuma.

"I'm so sorry Yuma. It's my entire fault."

**#######**

Astral shivered. He was standing on a rooftop, 9 floors above the ground, staring at the spot where Yuma had landed. He looked at the key in his hand.

"Stupid trinket. This is your entire fault. Yuma's dead because of you. No, of me. No, of us." Astral day on the low wall, feet dangling 30 meters above the ground.

"Why didn't I fall? I stole, I deserved to die. Now I'm a killer, too. I deserve to die even more than before. STUPID KEY!" Astral threw the key to the ground as hard as he could, and watched it shatter.

"Goodbye, Yuma." Astral stared down at the fragments of gold metal lying on the footpath.

"Damn it, Yuma! I missed sitting next to you! I missed your attention! I missed you! I loved you! I-I loved-I…" Astral sighed.

"I still love you, Yuma. And it's been a year today since you fell, and I can't be away from you a minute longer." Astral smiled, closed his eyes, breathed out, and let himself fall.

**#######**

(EPILOGUE)

Astral's parents soon left Heartland City, because it had been Astral's birthplace, and now his final resting place. His real parents had died in this very city only days after the blue-haired boy was born, so Mr and Mrs Takashi took him under their wing. But the memories of him were harsh now. In his final year of life, he was detached, depressed, but they never thought he'd go and jump off a building. They needed a fresh start.

Haru Tsukumo and Akari Tsukumo kept Yuma's room, deck, and everything else exactly as he had left them. No-one was to touch his beloved deck which sat on the table, nor was anyone to go into his bedroom. Akari soon got married and, eventually, pregnant, but had to go to a mental institution after her  
still-born son had Yuma's red eyes and antenna spikes. She said it felt like the universe was rubbing in the fact that her baby brother was dead. Haru said goodbye to Astral's parents at the airport after they decided to move to America.

Astral and Yuma met up in the afterlife, and vowed to never leave each other, because they knew who and what they were in this world, but only of they were together.

The boys were buried side by side in a graveyard just outside heartland city, with vines entwined around both gravestones, connecting the two teenagers forever.

**I told you, I'm not in the best of moods. Forgive me if you want. I did it in like, 10 minutes, so forgive me if its bad.**


End file.
